Welcome to the
How Change Changes You Podcast
I'm on a mission to change our perception of change from a place filled with scary unknowns to a place packed full of possibility - allowing it to shape us, create greater resilience, confidence & trust in ourselves & are infinite capacity & capability to grow & evolve. I am soooo excited to have a plethora of people lined up from all over the world - who will be sharing their personal change story - from dealing with divorce, loss of a loved one, loss of self, career change, health challenges, transitioning genders - no change is off topic! Because WE are built & strengthened through the changes we face - large & small!
Multiple Guests
Three Powerful Questions
Countless Insights
…& a whole lot of inspiration
Not to mention a potent biochemical shot of
gratitude straight from your ears to your heart!
Craig Stephenson - Cultivating mental & physical strength
Craig set up “The Total Coach” a few years ago after becoming a qualified PT - originally to deepen his own knowledge of fitness. He shares how one of his teachers during his training planted a seed of how rewarding it can be in helping others transform their fitness levels. Years on Craig now supports clients on successfully completing and outperforming on significant sporting and endurance endeavours such as ultra marathons, iron man competitions and cycling time trialling through both personal training and mindset coaching.
We also talk about the importance of breaking down visions and goals into achievable daily habits - from developing fitness routines, being committed and consistent with yourself to taking mindful time out to reflect and rest. All of which have helped him achieve some of his biggest goals whilst keeping his overall well being in balance.
Craig shares how learning about yourself at a deeper level can make all the difference in helping you navigate change. How becoming more self aware can aid your performance at work and highlight the true value you can bring. As a Mental Health First Aider in his company, Craig talks about how he has utilised his personal experience from both sport and fitness to his emotional intelligence training that help him encourage people to bring their most authentic selves to work - developing a culture of psychological safety where people feel truly valued and supported.
Through all of Craig’s experiences of the changes and challenges he’s faced both large and small, he reflects that he no longer fears change - as he knows that it leads to ongoing improvement and evolution!
Rachael Beattie - My ADHD journey & where I am today!
Rachael openly and honestly shares her battles with obesity, depression, and trauma. And how having ADHD and Bipolar has had a huge impact on both her life, and her dedication to found and develop an online neurodivergent community that is both non-judgemental and hugely supportive.
Rachael passionately talks about her need to move her body and be creative “for me it’s as important as breathing!” It’s a part of who she is, and has learned that she’s happiest when she’s moving her body and challenging her brain – be that walking her dogs, strolling along the beach, playing with her daughter or dancing in her kitchen!
Lauren Pla - Conscious Parenting, Connection not Correction!
Here Lauren Pla shares how diving into her own inner, personal development work led her to view how she parents in a completely different way.
Lauren lives in New Jersey, in the US with her husband, 22 year old daughter and 16 year old son. She shares how her parenting has changed and evolved over the course of her ever-increasing self awareness. We talk about the importance of observing ourselves - noticing how we think, feel and act, and how that impacts how we relate to our children. We also cover the power of accepting all parts of ourselves, so we have the ability to do the same, for the greatest growth of the people we’re bringing up!
Madi Graham - What's the best thing that could happen?
Here Madi Graham shares a very recent personal change story that only unfolded a couple of weeks before the recording of our conversation. Madi is quite simply a creative ideas machine, mother to 2 beautiful daughters and founder of @MadiBakes in Whitley Bay.
We cover so many topics in our conversation from finding the courage to really feel your feelings to dropping the need to prioritize everyone above yourself and finding your inner peace and strength through facing what you truly fear. The conversation flows from a place of real life experiences shared with heartfelt honesty, vulnerability and unapologetic authenticity!
Madi shares the importance of giving yourself permission to stop, creating a powerful space for reflection to get in touch with what life is really asking of you. After facing a potentially terrifying breast cancer diagnosis, Madi talks about sitting with herself and all her fears - holding space for herself and all the feelings whirling around her system. She gave herself permission to take some important time out, to just be - getting off the hamster wheel of busy being busyness where she so frequently operates from, to breathe and take stock. She realised that whatever the result, she was at capacity and instinctively knew she needed rest and recharge to handle whatever was awaiting her around the corner.
We know that this conversation will resonate with so many of you! As such we would love to hear your thoughts and comments about what came up for you during this epic episode!
Damon Bowen-Ashwin - My brain tumor journey – the change that saved my life.
Here Damon Bowen-Ashwin shares his personal change story, being diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 40 and how it saved his life! Damon shares that If you’d have told him a year ago that the growth of his brain tumor was the best thing that ever happened to him, I wouldn’t have believed you! In fact, he shares, “I’d have been petrified as well as angry and upset that there had been any post op growth!” Damon is half way through chemotherapy having already completed radiotherapy last autumn, and has never been so happy and in love with life. He is now on a mission to prove to himself and the world that we can do anything if we put our mind to it – he wholeheartedly believes this to be true.
We talk about the mental, emotional and physical challenges faced navigating ongoing treatment following his diagnosis 2 years ago. From confronting and embracing the fear to finding opportunity in exploring new potentials and experiences. As an avid cyclist and huge advocate of the Wim Hoff method of breathing - he has discovered a whole new perspective on life, what is important and what is simply not worth worrying about!
He is passionate about sharing the message - “If you want to change the world, change the way you look at it, and you’ll be amazed at what starts to happen. Start by loving yourself unconditionally, and then the rest will fall into place, and maybe, just maybe, amazing things will happen….”
Lucy Emsley - Navigating Anxiety, OCD & Menopause
Here Lucy Emsley shares her personal change story, where she recently experienced an acute bout of anxiety which led her to being diagnosed with OCD. Lucy talks about an important reflection point where she began to notice a pattern between her changing hormone cycles and experiences with anxiety levels.
Lucy is the founder of Sow Clever, a conscious business with a passion for inspiring everyone to get growing! They provide a subscription box service that gives you all the materials and expertise to grow your own vegetables, herbs and flowers from seed.
We talk about the importance of being persistent with healthcare practitioners to get the support you need - to the relief felt when gaining clarity on the cause of anxiety. For Lucy she found that it was her OCD that was driving her anxiety, which she now has techniques and tools to help manage alongside deciding to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which has also significantly helped reduce her levels of anxiety.
We talk about the dark side of strong coping mechanisms, being too harsh on ourselves, keeping pushing forward no matter what! Discussing the polarizing perspectives of selfishness versus self care! Feelings of guilt around taking the time for yourself! The busy being busy trap! Today Lucy talks about being so much kinder to herself, taking breaks when she needs to and choosing to lower the bar at times to look after her overall wellbeing.